Children of the Sun and Moon
by Faolen the Elven Wolf
Summary: When the daughters of Elrond return from Earth after years of being hidden, events are set into motion, memories are gained, powers are discovered, and Love is found. Venture into the world of the Celestial Sisters in the story of "Children of the Sun and Moon" A story filled with magic, love, & loyalty; with dash of sarcastic comments & butt kicking. T for language
1. Prolouge

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and altered storyline belong to me, Faolen the Elven Wolf. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Children of the Sun and Moon

Prologue

* * *

"Elrond, you know what you must do. It is not their time in this world yet." Galadriel spoke solemnly. Looking down at the babe in her arms, she smiled softly. "Their time will come eventually. For now, let them live among one of our own in Upper Earth until they are needed."

Elrond looked down sadly at the small bundle he carried. They were the last born of his children, just two winters old, and already they were leaving him.

"Sit them in the pool, it is time for their departure." The Lady spoke softly, looking down at her grand-daughters, she smiled when the blankets drooped down, revealing their curious eyes and tousled hair.

They both had identical sparkling violet eyes that shone with hidden intelligence. Their faces were similar but different; they had the same eye shape as their father, same hybrid noses, same high and rosy cheekbones as their mother, the same soft heart shaped faces and the same perfectly arched eyebrows. But even with all the same features, they were somehow different and could be told apart easily by their differing yet harmonious personalities…

…That and their hair, which was about as opposite as light and dark.

"They look balanced. Like night and day, they complete one another" Their mother said once she held them in her arms for the first time after the long hours of birthing.

One child had the top of her head covered with hair a dark brown that slowly turned into a golden blonde similar to that of Galadriel.

The other was switched, with golden blonde hair on top that turned into the same dark brown of the other child.  
"Together you were born, and together you shall leave. To the Elves, you will be known as Ithilwen and Anor; the Moon and Sun. In the world of Men, all will know you as Luna and Solstice."

She kissed each child on their forehead before placing a letter and identical necklaces in each of their wrappings.

The babes held each other as they fell into a deep sleep, their pointed ears growing rounded, and violet eyes obscured by brown. Along with their more prominent Elvish features hidden, whatever memories they had of Middle-Earth were pushed to the back of their heads and locked away.  
"What was lost shall be returned upon arriving home." Elrond said softly, as though reciting an enchantment.

"_Go now my children,  
your time had yet come.  
When the hope of Men falls,  
the Moon will rise with the Sun."_

Once the chant was completed, a breeze blew and where there were once two children was now empty.

"Live a happy life, my daughters. For the life that you will live to return to will not be an easy one"

In Upper Earth, a small cabin sat happily, tucked in the safety of the lively and thick woodland. The sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains, casting a warm orange glow onto the fluffy clouds. Birds began chirping happily, awakening the rest of the surrounding fauna.

A tall man walked quietly through the awakening forest, relishing the sounds of nature and inhaling deeply, enjoying the smell of fresh rain.

Soft gurgles of gibberish gained his attention and he walked around, looking for the source of noise.

Upon going back to the porch of his cabin, he discovered a bundle of blankets on the steps. He stepped forward with caution and watched with curiosity as the bundle began to rock side to side lightly.

He picked up the rolled blankets and his eyes widened with great surprise as he saw not one, but _two_ children inside, embracing each other and rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

"Where did you two come from?" He asked aloud, as though expecting a response from the infants. His head swiveled around to look for signs of someone's arrival and departure to and from his home.

He went inside and walked upstairs to place them on his bed. He unwrapped the two from the blankets and blinked in surprise when a letter fell out.

Upon reading it, he gasped softly and stared at the babes.

"You are… of my kin?"

As though his words triggered it, the brown of their eyes faded away slightly to reveal violet and their ears pointed for a short amount of time before returning to their rounded guise.

He smiled at the magic of Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel before scooping them up into his arms.

"_Mae govannen mellyn nín_; from now on I shall be known as your _Ada _in this world until you are needed back Home." The ellon in human guise said softly, to the twins in his arms, smiling when the golden-brown haired child pulled softly on a strand of his blonde hair and moved to put it in her mouth. _(Welcome, my friends) (Dad)_

"Alright, _Anor_!" He chuckled as he gently tugged the strand back. "Let's go find you two something to eat, shall we?"

He picked the blankets up from the bed and moved to wrap them around the infants in his arms but two necklaces fell from their folds and landed with a loud clatter onto the ground.

Undisturbed from the noise, and actually rather bored looking, he placed the twins onto floor to sit and picked the necklaces up to look at them in fascination.

They were made of what looked like silver, and the sunlight shined brightly off of them. The design was interesting, to say at the least. Formed of Celtic knots and vine-like shapes, a crescent moon connected to a sun at the tips, the sun's rays flowing outwards slightly. On one necklace, there was a plain, clear stone in the middle of the crescent moon and on the other the stone was in the middle of the sun.

He read the letter over again and placed the necklaces onto the correct child, staring in awe at the chain and charm around their neck shrunk to fit their tiny baby bodies.  
"Magic of the Elves, I assume. And from the looks of it, these are forged from Ithildin. Your father and grandmother have spoiled you so." He said with a chuckle and turned around to pick them up again, only to stop when he noticed that they have already stood up on unsteady legs, grasping each other for support and balance.

"Look at you two! Already standing! Let's see if you can walk though. Come on, come to André! Come to _Ada_!" His arms stretched out and his hands motioned for them to come closer.

"D-da…da." The brunette-blonde spoke in broken gurgles, leaning onto her sister for support as she raised a foot unsteadily from the ground.

"That's right! Come to dada, _Ithilwen_. Come on now."

They both moved forward slowly, often losing balance before regaining it at the last second. They took 3 steps before they both tumbled into Andre's awaiting, strong arms.

These were the first steps of their long journey.

* * *

**Alright! Thanks to anyone and everyone who read this! This is just a sort of test to see if anyone is interested in the story, and if so I'll keep writing! I already have a couple of chapters done, but I'm still revising. Any who, if you enjoyed it please feel free to drop a review and let me know if you want more! **

**xoxo,**

**Faolen**


	2. Small Family, Big Change

A/N: Ah! I'm so excited! My first reviews!  
Many thanks to:

**Morwen80** for the my first review, favorite, and alert! Much appreciated, love! xx

**GhostAvatar** for the lovely review! Don't worry, I'm updating now! Don't die! xx

**like. a. Sir56 **for following! You're awesome! :D xx (ps. FFN wouldn't let me write your pen name without spaces, sorry!)

I recommend at one point of the story, to listen to the song "Hurt" by Thomas Bergersen. It's an amazing song and it goes well with the scene. (I'll tell you when the best time to play it is!) If you like to listen to music that goes with the story you're reading like me then I seriously recommend it!

Now, please enjoy the new installment of _"Children of the Sun and Moon"_ ! Please feel free to review and let me know what you think!

xoxo,

Faolen

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and altered storyline belong to me, Faolen the Elven Wolf. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Children of the Sun and Moon

Chapter 1

Small Family, Big Change

* * *

_**~*12 Years Later*~**_

"Papa, papa! Señora Sonia is here!"

Two 14 year old girls rushed into the cozy cabin in the woods, running into the living room to wake their sleeping father to let him know that their tutor had arrived earlier than usual.

A sleeping Andre jolted awake, very nearly falling off the edge of the couch until he balanced himself and scrubbed the sleep from his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"And you both found it to be a need to wake me by screaming like banshees? You could've just calmly walked in and gently awaken me but I guess that's a hard thing to ask if I'm asking you two, now isn't it?"

The twins laughed nervously and offered him identical apologetic smiles. His response was a soft, airy chuckle before he stood and stretched his back from sleeping on the couch.

"What time is it anyways? Luna, Sol?" He asked as he went into the kitchen to fill his cup with coffee, running a hand through his now short blonde hair.

"Why, Señor, it's already 8 in the morning!" A soft, accented voice spoke from the kitchen doorway, surprising Andre and causing him to gasp slightly while halfway through a gulp of coffee. He pounded on his chest with his fist while coughing harshly, inducing a fit of giggles from his daughters and their tutor.

Clearing his throat one final time, he set down his coffee cup to lean back against the counter with crossed arms, "trying to appear manly and macho" as the twins would put it.

"Sonia, you startled me!"

The expression of 'No duh' was written clearly on the faces of both Luna and Sol, who had crossed their arms over their chests as well to make sure this came through clearly.

"I wasn't expecting you to come so early." He finished with a hand running through his messy locks, throwing a playful glare to his girls.

The Hispanic woman laughed quietly at his evident embarrassment, and smiled apologetically at him. "Sorry Andre. I didn't mean to catch you off guard but I wanted to come as soon as possible to give them their graduation presents since I'll be leaving soon to Puerto Rico to visit mi familia."

"Presents!" Both girls yelled out happily, hugging the woman around her waist and jumping up and down with excitement.

Andre rolled his eyes at their eagerness of gifts before perking up at the word of graduation.  
"What grade will they be in now?" He asked before slowly sipping some more of the coffee he had almost forgotten on the counter.

"9th Grade! High school level for most schools." She replied with a wide grin as she noticed the two girls laugh and chat happily about what their gifts might be, and how easy the upcoming "school year" was going to be.

Andre nodded happily at this information and smiled. "Well then, I say a celebration is in order!"

As he rinsed his now empty coffee mug in the sink, Sonia lead the two girls to her mini Cooper and opened the trunk, pulling out one large box and two smaller rectangular packages.

Luna took the large box from Sonia with a smile and thanks before she ran to the house, laughing maniacally the entire way.

Sol chuckled at her sister's antics before accepting the smaller packages and flashing her tutor a warm smile as her form of thanks. She walked calmly after her rather animated twin and sat down beside her on the rug that laid between the sofa and TV.

Luna took the smaller gifts and set them to the side before looking at Sol who had already placed her hands on the opposite side of the large, wrapped box.

"On the count of 3," began Andre.  
"One—"

"Three!" shouted Luna, enticing a playful glare from her father.

Simultaneously, the twins ripped the wrappings off of the box in a frenzy, squealing at their gift.

In front of them laid a new, sleek, black Xbox 360 S. Luna hugged Sol tightly, screaming about how happy she was and thanking Sonia profusely. Sol merely laughed and let her sister do all the thanking for the both of them, considering how she was having the air squeezed out of her lungs, rendering her practically speechless.

"I can't believe you bought us this! Oh my gosh Sonia, thank you so much! We shall love you forever and ever! From now on, you can always take my chocolate! You don't even have to ask, just take some! That's how much I love you!"

Sol laughed loudly at this statement of adoration coming from Luna and Andre was already into a similar state of guffaws.

"You're both welcome! I'm happy you're so excited about this! Now open the other gifts, I'm sure you'll enjoy the first one all the more once you do. The spotted one is for Sol, and the swirly is for Luna. Now open them!"

After grabbing the wrapper assigned packages, the twins looked at each other with smiles, and ripped off the paper covering their gifts.

Sol stared in ecstatic shock at the game in front of her. It was a copy of _Viva Piñata_, her dream game.  
"Piñata…" She whispered as her grin widened, turning her head to see Luna's reaction to her own gift.

In Luna's hands rested the 3rd Assassin's Creed game, the latest of the series other than the soon-to-be-released 4th. Sol's brow furrowed in worry as she noticed Luna had yet to speak; matter fact, she hasn't even_ blinked._

_Poke._

No reaction.

"Sonia, I think you broke her."

Everyone else in the room jumped as Luna suddenly soared up from the floor, screaming wildly in completely insane happiness. No one made to move even as she ran out the front door to run laps around the cabin, holding her game all the while as she made strange noises not unlike those of a dying goat.

"Well… she's happy." Andre said finally, breaking the silence inside the house. (They were all pretty sure Luna had the rest of the forest in panic from the noises she was emitting. Wow, who knew someone could sound so much like a fire truck?)

"Really? Those are sounds of happiness? I was contemplating calling an ambulance or something. We might need to soon too, because if she doesn't shut up the whole forest is going to come over here to make her." Luna replied, with a light chuckle.

Sonia laughed softly as the sounds outside died down and the front door clicked twice, signaling the door opening and closing.

A calm-looking Luna stood in front of the seated Sonia, looking down at her with a tranquil face, though the energy around her still buzzed from her freak out (seizure?).

"Sonia, I love you more than chocolate."

Everyone froze at this comment, knowing her somewhat unhealthy obsession with the snack. To be loved more than chocolate in Luna's eyes was a very high place of honor, very close to Sol's place in her heart.

Sonia smiled widely and stood before she hugged the girl tightly. "Thank you Luna, I am honored to have such a place."

Luna grinned hugely, revealing a slightly wolfish smile that exuded barely contained euphoria and hugged the woman back.

"Oi, sorry to interrupt this whole _heartfelt moment_, but does anyone mind helping me set up this wonderful piece of technology?" Sol said, emphasizing heartfelt moment sarcastically with an amused smirk.

Luna laughed and took the cables out of her twin's hands before moving to the TV to hook up their newly beloved Xbox.

"I say we play Viva Piñata first, 'cause we both know later I'm going to dominate the Xbox with Assassin's Creed." Luna piped up after she hooked up the cords into their correct places and turned on the gaming system and TV. Sol laughed and raised an eyebrow at her older twin. "You really think so? Actually you're right; I think I'm gonna end up leaving it to go on the laptop."

Everyone in the room laughed.

They were one small, happy family.

_**~*3 Years Later*~**_

_The girls have graduated a year early, thanks to Sonia's excellent lessons and their fast learning. They rarely see her now and the mother figure in their life has left, although not without leaving them speaking in fluent Spanish, albeit with Puerto Rican slang._

_Ever since Luna started playing the 3__rd__ Assassin's Creed, she and Sol have been practicing climbing the trees and imitating the moves shown by Connor, including some of his fighting skills. ("What? You never know when one day you're gonna need to know the moves, man. There's no such thing as too much knowledge." –Luna)_

_Along with their daily training in the forest, the animals have grown accustomed to them and often the twins would watch the interactions of nature with a front row seat, absorbing infinite knowledge of the wildlife around them. And to top off their wilderness expertise, Andre showed them different natural remedies ranging from common colds and flus to fighting off nasty infections and healing gashes from small skirmishes._

_They were content with their life with nature, happy to just sit in the cabin in the woods, hunting for their meals like the olden times while still having the luxuries of technology like a working gas stove, TV, Internet, and their beloved Xbox 360._

_Times where peaceful and enjoyable and each day was predictable. Nothing changed except for maybe the occasional trip to the market for the necessities or monthly trips to the post office to send off the payments for their modern day uses of electricity, plumbing, land payments, etc._

_They were still a happy family, albeit without their mother figure around as often, but family nonetheless. _

_Until one day, when what they predicted for the day was completely knocked off course and turned for the worse._

Sol and Luna were walking back home covered in sweat and bruises but smiling nevertheless.  
"I can't wait to get home and shower. I'd kill for a nap right now." Sol commented as they trekked through the familiar path to their home after their daily training.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna have to get the old splinter pack; one of 'em actually dug through my glove and into my skin!" Luna said as she picked at the offending piece of wood stuck in her skin.

Sol grimaced when the brunette-blonde managed to take the splinter out without the standard needle and tweezers. "Never mind." muttered Luna, as she flicked away the wood and lifted her finger to see if anything was left behind.

After a few more minutes of light banter and conversation along with the occasional shove, they reached the little cabin they called home.

"I hear a nice steamy bath calling my name." A dreamy sigh escaped Sol as she said this and they entered the house, expecting to hear their father either in the kitchen making sandwiches for lunch, or music from the study signaling that he was looking over some maps for work.

But to their surprise, there was no sign of life inside the house. No light snoring from their father's room, no soft slurps from when he drinks a hot cup of coffee, not even the faintest sound of the chair squeaking lightly when he repositioned himself, which is very often.

There was no one in the house.

"That's weird; he usually tells us or leaves a note when he's going off to the market…" Sol muttered quietly to herself while Luna inspected the rooms with upmost scrutiny to the tiniest of details.

"While living in the woods, you can never be too careful." Was what Andre taught them, and those lessons stuck with them ever since the day they were taught.

"There are no signs of breaking and entering or signs of struggle so I guess we can say that it was just an emergency visit. Probably ran out of the blue paper." Luna said once she finished examining each room in the house.

Sol shrugged and they both went to the full bathroom between their father's room and their own.

As Luna washed her hands to make sure her small cut didn't get infected, Sol started the water for her bath. Occasionally sticking her finger in the water, or turning the knobs for the hot and cold water, she was eventually satisfied with the temperature and walked into the room she shared with Luna for some clothes to change into.

Luna walked down the stairs into the kitchen, opening the cabinet above the sink to look for a small Band-Aid.

"Hey Sol!?"

"What?!"

"Where are the Band-Aids?!"

Their loud conversation continued as Luna opened the rest of the cabinets muttering curses when she couldn't find the box of first-aid materials.

"If anything, check inside of the emergency supplies. It's not like we use them anyways and you're only taking one."

Luna nodded to herself, shouting back her thanks to Sol before locating the large black duffel bags and opening the one with her name labeled on it. Her brows rose slightly at the recently placed clothes in her pack but she shrugged it off, figuring that Andre must've repacked while sitting bored one day in the house while they were off training and goofing off.

After a few more minutes of looking around the bags and adding her own little treats, chocolate and fruit roll-ups in particular ("What? They don't go bad so why not? Just 'cause it's an emergency doesn't mean you can't have good food.") she went to the stairs to find Sol sitting on the last step bouncing her leg rapidly and skimming the skin of her thumb with her teeth; she was worried or nervous about something.

"Oye, what's wrong?"

"His car… it's still parked in the back…" Sol muttered, her brows furrowed in thought.

Luna paused mid step and her mind started racing. Sol looked up at her, her darkening blue eyes reflecting the same emotions Luna felt.

_Where was he? Was he hurt? Why did he go without his car? Or even without leaving a note? What was going on?_

All of these questions remained unanswered for the both of them and suddenly every noise was tremendously loud. An unexpected crunch of leaves in front of the house caught their attention and they moved silently towards the back door in the kitchen. From their vantage point, they could see who was coming into the house without the intruder seeing them.

Sol let out an audible sigh of relief when she saw the face of their dad step through the door. Luna's shoulders lowered from their tense position, and her hold on the kitchen knife was lessened considerably before she placed it back into its hole in the wooden rack.

"Papa!"  
"Dad!"

Andre turned to face the twins, a look of utter relief written on his face, with an underlying expression of panic and haste.

"Girls!" he exclaimed, hugging them both tightly as they all but jumped into his arms before whispering an almost silent "Thank the Valar…"

_(- Start of Music Recommended Here-)_

He pulled back to put them at arm's length, his eyes flashing around the room wildly. "Listen, we haven't got much time. Get the emergency supplies and don't ask any questions; we have to leave. Now."

The girls looked at each other before Luna broke out into a jog, heading into the store room in the back to grab their duffel bags with Sol in tow. Andre declined the bag that was offered to him, causing even more confusion to be written on the girls' faces.

"Hurry now, we have to leave before they arrive."

"Before _who _arrive? Dad, what are you talking about?!"

"Not now, Luna! We don't have any time! Both of you out now!"

Further questioning was stopped at his tone and Sol exchanged a look with her twin who was nibbling frantically on her lower lip.

_Something was terribly wrong. _

They both stopped as Andre disappeared into the store room only to be surprised when he walked out with a sword in hand. His face was fierce and stormy blue eyes flashed with hidden emotions before he made them run down a hidden path. He was constantly looking behind him and was even yelling at them to pick up the pace.

A howl sounded through the woods and both girls stopped their panicked running when Andre pivoted on the spot, sword at the ready with eyes flashing dangerously at whatever was coming behind them.

"Listen girls. We haven't got much time and this wasn't how things were supposed to happen but I just wanted to let you both know that I love you both dearly. You're the most precious people in my life but I'm afraid this is goodbye."

Sol's eyes watered and Luna tried to maintain a strong face for her younger sibling but a traitorous lone tear escaped.

"What do you mean 'Goodbye'?! You always told us that unless you know you're never going to see someone again, it's always a 'See ya later'! This is just a 'See ya later'! Right Dad?! Right?" Luna's cries tore at Andre's heart and he looked back to give them a sad smile.

"Goodbye Anor, Ithilwen."

Both girls looked at him with shock and tears. Something called to their hearts when he said those names and before they could respond another howl echoed through the now darkened woods, suddenly much closer than before. It was even more foreboding when a rumble of thunder roared into the air.

"Go! Run! RUN!"

"Daddy, no!" Sol moved to go back to him but Luna grabbed her around the waist basically dragging her through the forest to look for safety.

"Let go of me, you heartless bitch! We can't just leave him! Let me go!"

Another howl echoed and Luna turned back to see a ginormous wolf move to attack Andre, only to have a sword swiped across its huge furry flank.

She turned back around once more and ran with all her might, tears blurring her vision.

'_I'm so sorry...'_

"Let me go Luna! _Maldita sea_! Let me go!" Sol continued to pound against her sister's back, tears running down her face at a steady pace, now mixing in with drops of water that rained down from the heavens.

"Stop it Solstice! Listen to me, he told us to run! Do you want his sacrifice to go to waste?! It hurts me just as much as it hurts you to let him go but we have to! Stop fighting me dammit and just listen! You're making this harder on all of us!"

Sol's struggles ceased and she resorted to crying onto her sister's shoulder, loud sobs muffled by her hand. Luna hushed her softly, patting her sister's head as she cried silently.

_What happened to their small, happy family?_

* * *

_End of Chapter 1_

_**Total Editing Time: 3,534 minutes**_

_**Pages: 9**_

_**Word Count: 3,157**_


	3. Return of the Sun & Moon

A/N: Hey guys! I'm starting to find my rhythm in updating and I think it's either going to be weekly or every 5 days. Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who Reviewed/Favorited/Followed this story!

Many thanks to:

**Morwen80  
****GhostAvatar  
****like. a. Sir56  
****Lune de Ve **(ilybbg c: )  
**MistroStrings **(I'm totally stoked that you like it and are taking the time to read it! Ah! 3 )  
**Auroraboreales **(Love your pen name btw :D )  
**Christwarrior  
Pein's Kid  
**

You guys are all amazing! I appreciate the support so much! It's what keeps me motivated to write!I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I wrote it throughout the week bit by bit. School has been keeping me busy but I'm determined to keep updating for you guys!

Now, please enjoy the new installment of _"Children of the Sun and Moon"_ ! Please feel free to review and let me know what you think!

xoxo,

Faolen

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and altered storyline belong to me, Faolen the Elven Wolf. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Children of the Sun and Moon

Chapter 2

Return of the Sun & Moon

* * *

_Recap:_

_Sol's struggles ceased and she resorted to crying onto her sister's shoulder, loud sobs muffled by her hand. Luna hushed her softly, patting her sister's head as she cried silently._

_**What happened to their small, happy family?**_

* * *

They waited for hours along the path, moving farther along when the heard the growl of a wild animal.

They stopped several times and searched for signs of Andre; a sign that he was living after the attack from _whatever_ that thing was.

Every once in a while, they would hear the dying howl of a creature that sounded not unlike the animal that faced Andre.

"Maybe he's still alive! There's no reason those things are dying if he isn't the one killing them!"

Luna nodded at Sol's comment before looking around to the darkening forest, wiping water that ran over her eyes with her hand.

Night was edging closer and closer yet the storm was not letting up.

"We have to find shelter before one of us catches a cold or something. Andre is going to get mad at us if we get sick." muttered Luna as she held the hand of Sol, whose eyes looking around the forest for their father.

"Maybe we can find a hollow tree or something. It's a pretty big forest and this path has to lead us to somewhere of significance since it was made in the first place."

Luna nodded at Sol's comment once again and once the duffel bags were strapped securely on their person, they walked hand-in-hand until they stumbled upon a clearing.

And by stumbled, I mean they (read: Sol) literally tripped over a root, through a couple of bushes and into the clearing, landing in a crumpled heap.

"Geez, rough landing." grumbled Luna who had ended up being the pillow for her younger sister.

Sol muttered an apology as she rolled off of Luna and was offered a hand before she could even get her upper body off the wet grass.

Luna hefted up her sister and huffed.

"Sheesh, what have you been eating? Rocks?"

Sol scowled playfully at her. "Why? Is your head missing some?"

After a few seconds of glaring at each other teasingly, they both cracked a smile and laughed softly.

Another flash of lightening and a crack of thunder reminded them of their situation and Luna was quick to survey the area.

"There's a huge willow tree over there next to that pond. Maybe we can stay dry under there until the storm lets up. And with much luck, maybe it'll be hollow or at least provide some type of protection from this damned weather."

A rustle in the bushes behind them scared the wits out of both girls and Luna quickly grabbed hold of a nearby fallen branch, wincing when the harsh bark scrapped her ungloved hands.

When Andre came out of the bushes, limping and bloodied with a hand to his side but alive nonetheless, both girls nearly cried from joy and went to run to the man.

A howl echoed in the forest and Luna supported Andre as he directed them to quickly go to the tree.

"Ithilwen, listen closely to me. There are more coming. When you are asked tell them that somehow scouts got here and that it is no longer safe. Tell them Andriel killed most of them but there might be more and he decided to remain."

"What? Dad, I think you're becoming delusional with blood loss. We need to get to safety now and treat your wounds." Luna's words were hurried and Sol looked panicked as another howl rang, even closer than before.

'_Please no. Not again.'_

"No! Do not be a fool and do as I say!" Andre stepped away from her support, wincing and grabbing his side.

"Me, being a fool?! Dad, look at you! You're injured and we're being hunted by some type of mutated wolf! Where's your common sense?! We have to go!"

"Luna, we should go…" Sol muttered, her eyes widening in alarm as she heard the bushes rustle from where Andre had stumbled through.

Another of the gruesome creatures jumped from the forest, followed by three more. Luna and Sol were stuck in place with terror. Andre cursed in a language they didn't understand before he turned to them. "Forgive me Anor, Ithilwen. But now it is truly the end. I love you both very much. Tell your Ada is was an honor to have protected you both and raised you as my own."  
With that, he pushed them both into the dark pond before running to meet the snarling and barking beasts.

Luna and Sol held onto one another with one hand, both trying to claw their way up to the surface but to no success. They didn't let go of each other for fear of losing one another in the dark and murky water. The hold on each other tightened when their necklaces glowed brightly in the dark pond, illuminating their frightened faces when they were pulled apart from each other by some unknown force. Their eyes screamed out what their voices couldn't.

"_Solstice!"_

"_Luna!"_

The last thing either of them saw before the darkness consumed them was a rippling from the surface caused by the fall of Andre's hand into the pond and a trickle of blood seeping down into the shadows they were drowning in.

* * *

Luna didn't remember blacking out. Matter of fact, she didn't remember anything after training with Sol earlier that morning.

"Ugh, why am I soaking wet?" She muttered as she wringed the water out of her ponytail. She looked down at the oversize duffel bag next to her and stared at it in confusion before sighing. She tilted her head back with her eyes closed and drew in a shivering breath. Nothing was making sense.

When she looked back at the pond in front of her, only seeing the bright full moon above her before her attention was caught by something moving underneath of the tree.

'_What is that? Maybe it's Sol!' _

She stood up shakily and moved to jog towards the figure but her feet caught on the fabric of her jeans.

"Woah! What happened to these? I've heard of jeans shrinking in the wash but never growing!"

She rolled up the cuffs and paused to look at the socks on her feet that seemed to have grown. With a roll of her eyes, she muttered angrily. "First my jeans, now my socks!" with a huff she threw her arms up, only to find that her shirt had also enlarged as well. "Oh wonderful; my shirt is big too! This is just bloody great! I don't know what happened but it seems like my clothes either expanded in the water or I shrunk!"

With another mutter of irritation, Luna took the socks off of her feet. They had begun to irritate her the moment flecks of mud began to cover her legs from the flopping of the excess fabric. She then proceeded to slosh around the perimeter of the pond to get to the other side where the willow tree and figure sat.

To her utter surprise, she found that the figure wasn't Solstice, but rather a young looking girl that strikingly resembled her kid sister. She crouched down and poked the figure who then opened their eyes to look up at her. Luna cocked her head to the side and looked at her in wonder. Who would leave a child in the middle of the forest by themselves; and at _night _no less?

"Hey kid, you okay? What are you doing out here? Where are your parents?"

The little girl looked up her with a pair of darkening blue- almost violet- eyes that were scarily identical to Sol's.

"I could ask you the same thing; and who are you calling kid? You're the midget here."

Woah. Girl's got sass.

"Pfft. Me, kid? Midget? I'll have you know I'm 17. I'm way taller than you."

This girl was just like Sol. Matter of fact; she looked the exact same way Sol looked when she was five.

'_What the hell is going on?'_

"Oh please. Don't give me that. You look the same way my older sister did when she was five!"

'_Woah.'_

"Wait… Solstice? _Hermanita?!_"

"L-Luna?! Holy crap, what happened to you?!"

"What happened to _me_?! _What happened to you?!_ You look like a 5 year old!"

"You're one to talk! Have you looked at your reflection lately?"

"No!" Luna frantically touched her face and stood up in a hurry, almost tripping on the now unraveled jeans.

"I don't remember anything after training this morning! All I remember is heading back home, opening the door and then bam! Nothing!"  
Sol looked at her in shock. "Really? The same thing is going on with me!"

Luna reached down and helped her sister stand, laughing when the younger girl (in more ways than one!) looked at her muddy and soggy socks with disgust.

They held each other's hands for comfort as they crept towards the water's edge.

"Alright, on the count of three?"

Sol nodded at this before taking a deep breath. "One."

"Two." Luna continued, squeezing their entwined hands to give and receive comfort.

"Three!"

At their simultaneous shout, they stuck their head above the pond and gasped at their reflections.

"What the hell?!"  
"Yo, do I have pointed ears?"  
"Holy shit. Look at my eyes! This is wicked!"  
"I can't believe this crap. What in the world happened to us man?

They continued talking to each other and themselves, their exclamations of surprise and confusion bubbling into one giant mess of words. A rustle in the bushes caused their words to catch in their throats from fear and surprise.

Luna pushed Sol up into a particularly thick branch and reached up to have her sister pull her up with her now tiny arms. Not a second after Luna's foot was hidden by the weeping leaves of the willow, whatever it was that rustled the bushes stepped out. It was a man, they could tell from the build and height. He looked tall from the distance so they could only imagine that he would tower over them greatly from a closer look.

He was dress in some weird armor and had a dark brown cloak over his shoulders and head, covering his face from view. On his back was a quiver filled with arrows and on his waist they could see a scabbard for a sword.

In his hand— much to their terror— was a bow with an arrow notched in place. He was looking around the clearing, they assumed from the slight turning of his head every once in a while.

Suddenly, his head swiveled to their direction and much to their utter horror, his hold on the arrow loosened as well and it flew through the air, landing in the trunk of the tree just a few inches away from Luna's face.

"_**Daro! Tolo dadhi!**_" **_[Stop! Come down now!]_**

'_What in the hell?'_

Their silent question was conveyed to each other when Luna and Sol looked at one another.

The figure was slowly advancing towards the tree, another arrow readied.

Luna cussed mentally, gnawing at her lip. There was only one thing left to do.

'_RUN!' _

Solstice got the message just by looking at Luna's face and they both grabbed onto each other's hand before jumping down from the tree. The man was now a few feet away from their tree and had lifted the bow to face them. He spoke some more of the "gibberish" as Sol liked to call it and they both turned and moved to run. Unfortunately, neither of them remembered of their now extra-long jeans.

In a matter of 2 seconds, they went from trying to run, to trying to lift their faces off of the muddy ground.

For a second, the dangerous man was forgotten as Luna sputtered and spit some of the wet dirt out of her mouth.

"Ewhewhewhew! That's so friggin gross!"

Sol sat up and wiped the mud that covered her eyes and mouth. Luckily she had closed it before landing into the mud.

"Eck! I've also wanted a mud mask but this is just wrong!"

Suddenly they remembered about the armed man in front of them and their heads shot up in fright.

The cloaked figure must've noticed the alarm of the small elven children in front of him, because he slowly lowered the bow and arrow to the ground before raising his hands up in a calming manner. He was trying to show them he meant no harm.

'_Pfft. Fat load that does once you're terrorized two children out of a tree.' _Luna internally scowled at him.

Sol shied away from him, curling her small leg up and holding her throbbing ankle. Luna stood and moved in front of her sister, keeping her out of his view.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry that I startled you both, I thought there was something dangerous around here." He spoke with a slight accent that sounded similar to the way Andre spoke. Where was their father anyways?

Luna still stood defiantly, her body language radiating her fear but solid determination to protect her younger sister.

"How can we trust you? You were pointing an arrow at us not even a minute and a half ago and the one you fired almost went flying into my skull!"

The man lowered his hood, dark hair and pointed ears being revealed in the process.

"I am Elladan, son of Elrond Halfelven. Who are you two, and where are your parents?"

'_Elladan? Do I know him?'_ Sol's question went unvoiced and unanswered for the time being.

Luna looked at him suspiciously, but answered truthfully nonetheless. She was slow to respond at first, unaccustomed to greeting other in such a strange manner.

"I am Luna, and this is my sister, Solstice. We are the daughters of…" she thought back to Andre's full name. She knew he told them before, and it was on the tip of her tongue.

'_Oh yeah!'_

"We are the daughters of Andriel. Most people know him as Andre though."

The man seemed to be taken aback.

"You say that the man who raised you is named Andriel?"  
"Yeah, but I don't even know where he is. Matter of fact, I have no idea where we are either."

He was silent for a second. He seemed to be contemplating something.

"So it is true."

Luna and Sol looked at each other in confusion. Did they wind up getting lost in the forest with some crazy guy wondering around?

Sol asked in a quiet voice. "What's true? What are you talking about?"

He turned to them, his eyes glistening with tears of… happiness?

"_The Celestial Sisters have returned."_

* * *

_End of Chapter 2_

_**Total Editing Time: 406 minutes**_

_**Pages: 8**_

_**Word Count: 2,501**_


	4. Finding Friends

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back, so sorry for the delay! School has been seriously kicking me in the butt but I stayed up late tonight to post this for you all because I feel super bad about being almost a WHOLE WEEK late! I made this chapter super-duper long as my form of an apology to you all!  
Anyways, things are going to be picking up the pace soon, a majority of this is more of a filler with lots of little funny and cutesy, childish moments! It will add to the story later on though so it does have a purpose other than the beginning!

As always, I'd like to thank all of my wonderful supporters!

Many thanks to:

**Morwen80 **(I dedicate this chapter to you because you seriously got my butt into gear! Thanks so much!)**  
****GhostAvatar  
****like. a. Sir56  
****Lune de Ve **  
**MistroStrings **  
**Auroraboreales **  
**Christwarrior  
Pein's Kid  
Mistra Rose  
ThornRose16  
Tiggerlilly **  
**nala85lala **  
**rayden24  
Your-Lionheart-Hobbit**

****You all deserve super-duper awesome trooper cookies! Unfortunately, I can't really give them to you over the internet so I hope a virtual hug will do.

-_Gives everyone a super-duper big hug_- I love you all! Thanks so much for the continuous support, everyone! I appreciate everything you all do, seriously!

Now, please enjoy the new installment of _"Children of the Sun and Moon"_ ! Please feel free to review and let me know what you think!

xoxo,

Faolen

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and altered storyline belong to me, Faolen the Elven Wolf. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Children of the Sun and Moon

Chapter 3

Finding Friends

* * *

_Recap:_

"_So it is true." _

_Luna and Sol looked at each other in confusion. Did they wind up getting lost in the forest with some crazy guy wandering around?_

_Sol asked in a quiet voice. "What's true? What are you talking about?"_

_He turned to them, his eyes glistening with tears of… happiness? _

"_**The Celestial Sisters have returned."**_

* * *

Luna and Sol stared at the Elladan like he had suddenly grown another head.

"The _who_ have _what_?"  
"I think this guy's eaten a few too many wild berries, if you know what I mean Sol."

Elladan seemed to have ignored what they had said, because he whistled sharply and they could hear the sound of trotting hooves. Both girls shuffled back in fear of the large, towering animal.

Sol had once been bitten by a horse while trying to feed it an apple and Luna had almost been stomped on by the animal when she went to pet it. Neither girl enjoyed the companionship of horses anymore so they did their best to stay away from them.

When the horse blew air from its nostrils in a puff, the twins flinched back in fright.

Elladan saw this and smiled softly. "Do not worry, he will not hurt you. He is a gentle soul and has been my friend for many years." His voice and laidback demeanor around the large beast coaxed them into coming a bit closer.

He nodded in approval and offered them both a hand. "Come; let's get you both somewhere safe." When they looked at the hand and back up at him in skepticism, he visibly deflated.

"What? You want us to ride that _thing_, never mind ride with _you_ to _wherever it is _you want to take us? Sorry buster, that ain't happening."

Luna crossed her arms over her chest, pleased to find that he was confused by her vocabulary.

'_If Sonia could hear me now, oh geez; she'd have a field day!'_

"I think it'd be best if you did come along though, because Solstice is injured and this forest is not the safest place to be, come nightfall."

Luna knew he had a point and man, did she hate it. She didn't want to go with this stranger; she didn't want to get on top of that _bloody, freaking_ horse; but she a feeling bubbled up inside of her telling her to trust him and she knew Sol needed medical attention. Her ankle was swelling and the skin around it was beginning to turn a sickly shade of violet.

With a huff, she nodded and let herself be picked up and placed onto the dark steed, albeit grumpily and with fear clear in her eyes. Sol was next to follow, being seated in front of Luna.

Before Elladan got on the horse, Luna spotted the duffel bags from earlier and pointed them out.  
"Can you get those please? I don't want to leave them behind."

He gave her a soft smile and nodded before grabbing the two duffel bags from where they were left behind. Once they were strapped onto place on the mount, Elladan mounted behind the two gracefully, taking the reins in hand lightly. With a softly muttered word, the horse took to a soft trot along a cleverly concealed path.

An hour later, both Sol and Luna felt themselves nodding off slightly. Sol's head fell back against Luna's chest, and Luna ultimately ended up falling asleep with her head leaning against Elladan.

The next time they awoke, they could tell it was morning by the light shining through the window in their large room and they were both in a large bed covered by an ivory, silken blanket. They noticed that they were tucked in, the blankets pulled up to their chins and their bodies unconsciously curled up towards the other for warmth.

As Sol sat up and stood to walk, much to Luna's worry and annoyance, she found that her ankle was no longer throbbing and was in fact wrapped in a soft gauze-like material. She also found that her baggy, wet clothing from earlier had been removed and replaced by slightly baggy black trousers that were tied around the waist by a chord and identical off-white tunics that were a tad bit big but served their purpose. Other than that, they were barefooted, confused, and frankly, somewhat scared.

A knock on the door to their room interrupted their hushed whispers and Luna found her voice first. She softly cleared her throat before answering, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal another man with pointed ears and dark hair. Upon closer look, they noticed that he looked like the older version of Elladan.

"Uh… Do we know y—" Luna's remark was cut off by Sol, who had given her a look that said "S_hut the hell up before I make you"_.

The man chuckled softly, much to their confusion. "You wound me, Ithilwen. Do not tell me you do not recognize your own Father, for surely the charm has worn off by now."

"The who has what now?"  
"I think they're all hyped up on wild berries here, Sol."

"You are Home, my children. **Trener**_**?**_" (Remember?)

The simple word caused Luna and Sol to gasp and fall back onto the bed.

Memories poured in, pounding in their heads. Faces flashed by, and words too fast to process engrained themselves into their minds.

Finally, faces were matched with names and scenes from when they were just babes played in their minds.

Elladan and Elrohir, their older twin brothers.  
Arwen, their older, beautiful sister.  
Galadriel and Celeborn, their loving grandparents.  
Elrond and Celebr_ían_, their wonderful, caring parents.

As tears of joy gathered in their eyes, a recollection of the morning before flashed before their inner eye.

"_Listen girls. We haven't got much time and this wasn't how things were supposed to happen but I just wanted to let you both know that I love you both dearly. You're the most precious people in my life but I'm afraid this is goodbye."_

"_Goodbye Anor, Ithilwen."_

"_Go! Run! RUN!"_

"_Ithilwen, listen closely to me. There are more coming. When you are asked tell them that somehow scouts got here and that it is no longer safe. Tell them Andriel killed most of them but there might be more and he decided to remain."_

"_Forgive me Anor, Ithilwen. But now it is truly the end. I love you both very much. Tell your Ada it was an honor to have protected you both and raised you as my own."_

"_**Solstice!"**_

"_**Luna!"**_

With her breaths coming in gasps, Sol turned and cried into Luna's shoulder.  
"No, No! Andre please, no!"

"This can't be happening… he can't be gone!" Luna muttered frantically, holding her sister close; she was terrified that Sol would disappear from her life as well.

Elrond looked on with grief at his daughters, his eyes filled with sorrow at their tears and the loss of his old friend.

"Then it is as I feared. Andriel's absence was not a mistake." He sat on the bed and let the two elven children fling themselves onto him, sobbing into his robes.

"W-we c-couldn't do anything t-to s-s-save him!" Luna stuttered as she continued to sob, her little hands fisted and clinging to him. Sol couldn't speak at all, her cries muffling and jumbling her words into unintelligible noises.

The only thing Luna could get from her sister was the rough shake of her head and a stuttered "W-why did h-he le-leave us-s?!"

Elrond stayed with them until their tears dried. His heart tore when he saw their bloodshot eyes and red noses.

"Sleep, _**hîn nín**_. Sleep and dream of happier thoughts. I will be here when you awake." (My children)

And so, with their bodies now even more exhausted than when they first awoke in the forest, they slept. Their dreams were happy and light, memories of Andriel and happier times flashing by. Though, in the back of their unconscious minds they knew they would never be able to create those times again.

* * *

Sol was the first to rise from her restful sleep. She smiled softly when she noticed Luna curled up and holding onto her hand. When she tried to leave the bed, Luna mumbled something softly and tried to pull Sol back onto the bed.

Sol sighed and rolled her eyes, pushing Luna's cheek away when the girl rubbed her face against the hand she was holding. Luna opened her eyes slowly and looked at Sol groggily, her cheeks lightly dusted with blush. "I did it again, didn't I?"

Sol laughed and nodded, chuckling even more when Luna pouted and crawled out of the bed.  
She was even _acting_ like a 5 year old now! Not that she didn't before.

"Hey, where's… well, dad?" The word was strange on her tongue, not used to calling Elrond their father.  
Andre's death was still fresh in their mind and to have his spot in their hearts replaced so soon felt wrong, but they knew that Elrond was giving them their space and it was much appreciated.

"Dunno, I thought he said he was going to be here when we woke up…" Luna grumbled. They walked out of the room they stayed in, gasping at the beautiful scenery.

Sol wracked her mind for the name of the place, and she felt it on the tip of her tongue when Luna unconsciously murmured it.

"_Imladris_."

Luna paused mid-step, sticking her tongue out and poking it in confusion.

Sol laughed at her sister's odd antics.

"Yo, what the hell did I just say?"

Sol was about to give her a sarcastic comment in return when an elf ("I finally know what we are!" "Good job! You deserve a gold sticker!" "Shut up Sol.") turned the corner and paused when he saw them.

"Uhm, excuse me. Have you seen our father anywhere? His name is Elrond."  
"Ah, so you two are the infamous daughters of Lord Elrond. My name is Lindir, a friend of your father. Unfortunately, my Lord Elrond is out with some elves, fending off some wargs and orcs that came a bit too close to our borders. He should be back soon though, so if you two would like, you may come with me to meet him when he comes back. I'm sure he'll be pleasantly surprised to find you two out of bed and walking around."

They nodded up to the tall elf, Luna still pouting grouchily while Sol looked around the place with eyes lit with wonder and fascination.

Sol and Luna walked behind Lindir and passed some guards —to which Luna stuck her tongue out to —and were surprised when they saw thirteen _small, hairy and bearded men_, one of which was beardless, and another man which was far taller than the others ,covered in gray robes with a hat upon his head that looked like it had seen better days.

Lindir placed his hand upon his chest in what looked like a greeting before speaking in a language that they remembered to be Elvish.  
"Mithrandir."

The man named Mithrandir bowed his head in respect before replying with a simple, "Lindir."

Luna looked at the men with suspicion, stepping in front of the shy Sol when she saw a few of them look their way as they whispered to each other.

Lindir spoke in elvish, far too fast for them to understand and translate (as though they even knew much in the first place). They stared up at him with faces of confusion, and Sol laughed at Luna when she noticed that the girl had a face not unlike that of Jack Sparrow's when he stared up at his ship that was moving on its own.

Mithrandir spoke again to Lindir, his words catching both Luna's and Sol's attention again.  
"I must speak with Lord Elrond."  
Luna opened her mouth to say something but Sol's look to not interrupt left her standing there with an open mouth until the younger girl sighed and pushed the brunette-blonde's jaw back up.

One of the small men, the one without the beard and — to their surprise and fascination— barefooted, looked at them in confusion with a light smile.

"My Lord Elrond is not here."

Mithrandir looked at Lindir, confusion swirling in his eyes. "Not here? Where is he?"  
"That's what I want to know!" Luna said finally, huffing grumpily. This brought Mithrandir's attention to them, his eyes widening a bit in shock as though he had only just noticed that they were standing there.

Before words could be spoken, a horn sounded loudly in the distance, startling the twins and many of the small men who turned towards the archway.

Luna and Sol yelped in fright when one of short men, the one with long raven hair, shouted to his men in a strange language, followed by a loud "Close ranks!"

Their eyes lightened when they noticed one of the horse men that were circling around the group of small men was their father.

He smiled at the tall man in grey, before speaking. "Gandalf!"

"Lord Elrond!" he replied happily. He walked towards their father, placing a hand to his chest and sweeping it forward as a form of greeting while speaking Elvish words the girls could _finally_ understand.

"_**Mellon nín!**_ " (My friend)

Whatever else they said after that was lost to them, yet again. Luna pouted at feeling left out and Sol huffed silently.

When their father gave Gandalf a sort of hug, then moved to give his sword to Lindir, he noticed them both and gave them a knowing look and smile. "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or _someone _has drawn them near." He gave Gandalf a knowing look as well, smiling when Gandalf replied.  
"Ah, that may have been us."

Luna and Sol then lost interest in the conversation, Sol following Luna as she went to poke the guards nearby. They merely smiled at the little elven children, ignoring their curious gazes for the time being.

The young twins went back to their father's side when they heard a gruff voice. "What is he saying?! Does he offer us insult!?"

Gandalf was quick to intervene when more of the small men began to speak angrily as well. "No, Master Gloin. He is offering you food!"

At the word of food, both of the girls turned their heads to their father. They were absolutely starving!  
He merely nodded at them, knowing what they were going to ask.  
The same red-headed dwarf that had yelled turned back with a nod. "Ah well, in that case lead on."  
Sol giggled quietly while Luna had to muffle a chuckle.

Flanking either side of their father, Luna at his right and Sol at his left, they walked up the stairs and down some open corridors that revealed new sights of the place that was now their home.  
Along the way to some rooms that would house their new guest, they learned that most of them were of a race called Dwarves and another called a Hobbit. Not much more could be said or asked as Elrond arranged rooms and called for some elves to start setting up the feast.

Sol stared at her reflection in the water as she waited for the dwarves to come from their rooms and sit down to eat. She sighed sadly when she fingered her now shoulder length hairstyle. 'I wonder why we have the bodies of children here when we looked like our age back on Earth.' She mused to herself while brushing back a stray piece of blonde-brown hair. She let her head fall back a bit when she felt familiar hands run through her hair before they started to braid it. Sol turned around when the hands stopped and smiled at her older twin. She felt the braid softly and realized with silent glee that she had braided it into a neat French fishtail and managed to loosely knot the hair to keep it from unraveling. Luna turned around with a smile and sat down when Sol motioned for her to do so, and proceeded to wait until the hands that had a hold on her hair left. She in turn silently thanked her sister and smiled brightly when she felt the tight and neat French braid in her hair.

A few moments later and they could both hear the loud chatter of the dwarves and the soft music the elves around them started to play. They got a few looks their way, most of them in either disgust, curiosity, or both.

Sol's brow furrowed in confusion at the disdainful looks she was sent, not knowing what she did to offend the dwarves. Luna noticed the looks sent to both her and her sister and instantly moved to stand in front of her younger twin only to stop short when she heard her father.

The dwarves had already seated themselves at the two tables set up clearly for them, and looked at the green food with contempt clear in their eyes. Sol and Luna moved to their father and looked up to him with hopeful eyes when he kneeled down and kissed each of their foreheads.  
"I apologize _**hîn nín**_, but I must ask that you both sit with the other dwarves this evening. I promise that our next meal will be eaten together, alright?" (My children)

Luna mumbled something that sound suspiciously like, "Just like you promised you'd be with us when we woke up…" before sighing softly and nodding.  
Sol pouted childishly and fought back the strong urge to whine like a small child in front of their guests. But in the end she muttered a small "fine" and went to follow her sister who had trudged towards the end of a table that had two empty seats.

When they sat, multiple eyes looked at them – many of which did not very happy to see them.  
They silently thanked an elven woman who served them some bread rolls and looked around the table for some food that _wasn't _green.

When they found none, Luna made a sound of displeasure and huffed silently while Sol resisted the urge to frown. Thinking that they were children who couldn't do the simple task of serving themselves, another helping elf served them some of the nearby salad with a smile. They forced a thankful smile in return and Luna had to bit her tongue to keep from making a comment. It's not it was unexplainable anyways. They were in the bodies of children after all.

"Are you the daughters of Lord Elrond?" A curious and soft voice asked them. They paused their quiet whispers to each other to find that the hobbit had asked them that question and – much to their discomfort— many dwarven eyes were now upon them, waiting for their response.

Luna found her voice first, and spoke for herself and the shy Sol. "Yeah, we are. I'm Luna and this is my sister, Solstice. It's a pleasure to meet you Mister…?"

"Ah, where are my manners? I am Bilbo Baggins, of Bag End. And the pleasure is all mine, milady."

He gave them a sweet smile, to which they smiled back.  
"If they're the daughters of that elf then why are they sitting with us?" A voice grumbled.

Sol noticed the animosity between the elves and dwarves and wondered what could've happened to cause it or if it was just this band of dwarves that disliked them.

"Uhm, excuse me, Master Dwarf?"

The stout man with the long white beard turned to Sol with a warm smile, sensing her innocence and curiosity.

"Balin, son of Fudin, at your service; is there something you needed, lass?"

He gave her another smile when she blushed shyly and wringed her hands.  
"D-Did we do anything, to offend you or your friends? It seems like we are not all that welcomed here at your table and w-well… I'm sorry if we did." She ended her sentence in a mutter when she noticed multiple eyes land on her. Luna held her sister's hand to comfort her and looked up to dwarves.

"Do you not know the history of Elves and Dwarves? Were you not taught them by your father?"

A gruff voice questioned them, and Luna turned to the dwarf to her right, the one with an intimidating presence and tattooed head. They both shook their head. "What happened between the Dwarves and Elves? Are they at war or something?"

"Might as well be…" someone further along the table mumbled.

"Well lass, if we were to recount the tales between the Elves and Dwarves, I'm afraid we'd be here all night. Let's just say we're not on good terms right now."

Both girls mulled on this, Luna pushing her salad back and forth without really eating and Sol nibbling on her bread roll.

A few minutes later and they could feel hands on top of their heads, mussing the braids a bit with a light chuckle.  
"Why aren't you two eating? I thought you both said you were starving?"  
"Where's the meat?" was the simple reply from Luna to her father. She spoke for almost everyone at the table, without really knowing it.

"You don't like what you have on your plate? Why didn't you tell me?"

Luna wanted to point out that he was too busy having a conversation with Gandalf and the dwarf she had learned was named Thorin ("Why does everyone here have such weird names?" "I don't hear lots of people having the names Luna or Solstice so I don't think you can be one to talk." "Don't bring logic into this conversation, Sol!") to actually speak to him but thought better of it.

"We didn't want to bother you or seem ungrateful for what we have." Sol piped up this time, looking up at Elrond with big almost-violet-but-not-quite eyes. He gave them both soft smiles and leaned over to whisper in their ears. "Follow me after the feast is over and we'll see if I can't find some meat in the kitchen for you both, okay?"

Both girls smiled happily and giggled at this, nodding. "Thank you, _**Ada**_."

Their father looked upon them with wider and brighter eyes, his smile widening a bit.  
They were coming back to him, slowly but surely.

* * *

"Shh! I want it to be a surprise!"  
"Yes, because shushing me is totally going to make less noise than me stepping on a stray leaf."  
"Ya know, your sarcasm isn't helping all that much, Sol."  
"And I care because…?"  
"Oh look, there's a light over there!"  
"Geez, you have the attention span of a squirrel on a caffeine high."  
"No, I mean it might be the dwarves. I swear, you're not the smartest cookie in the jar sometimes."  
"You're one to talk!"  
"Hey, what're you trying to sa-!"  
"Shh! You're going to ruin the surprise!"  
"Oh, so now you care!"

Luna's and Sol's banter grew in volume without them knowing it until one of the dwarves popped his floppy-hat-covered head over a bush and smiled.

"Well, look at what we have here lads. This is quite a surprise."  
"What is it, Bofur?" was the reply. Luna and Sol moved around the bush and into the courtyard they had their little campfire and gathering in.  
One of the dwarves grumbled, "And not a pleasant one at that."

Much to Sol's surprise, Luna ignored the low complaint (Or simply didn't hear it, which was unlikely) and smiled shyly when asked why they were sneaking around.

"I wanted this to be a surprise, both of us did actually," she paused to gesture to herself and Sol, "but I guess it's too late for that now."

She took the satchel that was hanging around her shoulder and handed it to Bofur, Sol following suit and handing her own to the intimidating dwarf next to him, eyeing the axe that was stuck in his skull.

Bofur gave them a look of curiosity before opening the satchel and pulling out its contents.

"Laddies! We're in for a treat tonight!"

Inside of the satchels were long links of sausage, various meats and to their utter surprise, a large turkey already seasoned and ready to cook.

Many of the dwarves looked at them with slight suspicion and hidden shock.

"Why are you giving these to us? Shouldn't you two be off playing with other little elven children, or at the very least hiding from us dwarves?" The tall burly and tattooed dwarves questioned them, crossing his arms over his chest in an intimidating manner. Luna stepped in front of Sol instinctively in a protective manner, something all the dwarves picked up on. She too crossed her arms, and straightened her back to appear a bit taller, although not by much. Most of the dwarves were taller than their short stature, Luna and Sol both reaching the middle of Bilbo's chest, who was the shortest of the company.

"There really aren't any other children here other than Sol and I; and why would we hide from all of you? We know that there might be some bad blood between the Dwarves and Elves but I don't see anything wrong with you guys. In my opinion, if we were taught to hate dwarves as small children then our point of view on you all would have been biased and unfair. But we haven't been since our Father says that he cares not for the hatred between our two races and wishes we could all get along with each other like before. For that I know Sol and I are grateful, because I'm sure you guys are my kind of people, the fun kind. So when we saw that you all barely touched the salad in front of you, and we can't really blame ya either, I don't exactly fancy green food myself, we decided to treat you guys with something you will actually enjoy and eat. Honestly, I don't understand why they only served salads today. Green food is_ not_ my kind of food _at all_.

Luna made a face of disgust at the mention of it, wrinkling her nose in a childish manner. Sol noticed the way that she and Luna were acting a bit more childish than usual and began to worry.  
_'What if our bodies weren't the only that have changed? __**Ada **__said that 17 years to the Elves is like 5 years to Men. What if we're gaining the mentality of 5 years olds the longer we're here?'_

She thought about it a bit more before mentally shrugging it off. _'Nah, it's probably just the change of scenery and getting used to a new Dad that's done it. That makes more sense. Sheesh, I'm going crazy to have thought something like _that_.'_

Most of the dwarves muttered to each other for a few moments before finally concluding that the meat was safe to eat and that both Luna and Sol were being genuinely nice to them without a hint of judgment towards their kind.

With a simple nod and wave of the hand from the dwarf whose name they finally learned to be Dwalin, they smiled and joined the circle around the campfire to hear the many stories the dwarves had to tell.

* * *

Somehow, someone (read: Nori, with the help of the twins) had managed to get a barrel of ale out of the kitchen from underneath the cook's nose and bring it to the courtyard the dwarves were in.

Luna and Sol were left out of the ale drinking for obvious reasons, but laughed as they watched the dwarves slowly become intoxicated by the strong brew of the Elves.

Sol finally came out of her shell as she became comfortable and was becoming her giggly, sarcastic self again, much to Luna's joy.

Both of the twins were talking to Kili and Fili, seeing that they were some of the youngest of the group and also the easiest to talk to.  
"Is that your natural hair color?" asked Fili to both the twins. "My hair is as real as yours, Fili." Replied Sol; Luna nodded in agreement to the statement. Fili gasped in mock horror, "Are you calling my hair fake?!"  
"Only if you're calling ours fake!" said Luna, finishing it off by sticking her tongue out.  
"And what if we are? Are you going to cry about it?" teased Kili, amused by their childish behavior.  
"What? Why would we cry? I'll have you know, we're 17!"  
Sol coughed, reminding Luna about their whole "shrinking to little midgets" situation.  
"Oh, you're a big one, aren't ya?" Fili continued teasing them, not catching on to Sol's meaningful glance to Luna. They played it off casually, Sol nodding her head rapidly while Luna straightened her spine out and pursed her lips.  
"Yes, yes we are."  
The four of them laughed; Kili and Fili's laughter was loud and rambunctious, while Sol and Luna giggled madly.

When they settled down, Luna sighed happily, laying her head on to Sol' lap in blissful contentment as she stared up to her namesake.

The moon was full that night, shining so bright that the mist from the falls all around Rivendell looked like fog and the surrounding area look ethereal. As a matter of fact, she thought as she looked up to her sister, everything was looking weird. She saw a strange aura surrounding her sister, a soothing yet energetic red. She blinked and it disappeared, replaced by the worried face of Sol hovering over her.

"Wah? Did I miss something?"  
Sol smiled slightly, but it didn't reach her eyes; she was still worried and it was as bright as the moon to Luna.

'_Her eyes changed colors for the splittest of seconds, I swear it…'_ thought Sol as she stared back into her sister's eyes. When she found nothing, much to her disappointment and suspicion, she replied casually, "You zoned out for a bit. Kili asked if we were thinking about handling any weapons when I told him about our training we did with… Andriel."

She paused at the mention of him, his death still painfully fresh and deeply bothering her, though she preferred not to show it.

Luna noticed the slight pause but decided not to say anything. She turned back to the brunette dwarf and smiled. "I haven't really found a weapon of interest yet. Tomahawks are pretty cool, swords are okay, but from what I saw I actually enjoyed archery. Sol is more of the throwing knife type when it comes to distance."

Kili smiled and nodded at this. "We'll probably be here until the day after tomorrow. Some of us have a few injuries and although Thorin doesn't exactly fancy Elves all that much, we'll need to recover our strength. Tomorrow, I can show you some archery if you'd like and Fili can show Sol how to handle throwing knives or axes, whichever she likes better."

Sol thought about it for a bit, not much on the training part but more of why Thorin did not like the elves. She remembered hearing snippets of Elrond greeting Thorin, mainly the "King under the Mountain" part.

"Does that make you princes?"

She hadn't meant to come out so blunt, or be so random about it, but the question was blurted out before anything else could be thought.  
Fili and Kili stared at them in shock, their faces shadowed and lightened in a mysterious way by the moon when their smiles faded into slight frowns.  
"Why would you think that?" Fili asked; trying not to seem too concerned about it, Luna could tell.

"Father called Thorin the King Under the Mountain, and you two look related to him in the way close relatives would. You both don't look like his sons, more like something along the line of either cousins or nephews. Nephews seem more believable because you two are some of the youngest, according to the rest of your company, save for Ori. I'd bet that you two are the princes of…" She paused, not remembering what mountain it was that her father had said when they were walking to the rooms.

"The Lonely Mountain."  
Luna's whisper was barely audible, but nevertheless, it was heard. She stared intensely at Fili and Kili, the moons rays soaking into her skin and making her look somewhat ghostly. As she stared she could almost hear and see snippets of what seemed to Kili's and Fili's thoughts.

Sol shook Luna's shoulder, keeping hold even when she felt the energy buzzing around her sister flow into her own body.

Fili's face contorted into one of suspicion and mistrust. "How would you know that? There are plenty of mountains, not just Erebor. What are you trying to pull here?" Luna snapped out of her daze at this remark and gulped, holding her hands up as a sign that she meant no harm in what she said. "Nothing I swear! I just… it came to me and slipped out of my mouth without my permission. I'm not trying to do anything at all! I swear, if I said something that perhaps I shouldn't have, I won't say a word anymore! I didn't mean to make you angry, Fili…"

Her eyes grew wide with unshed tears and a more childish part of her mind took hold. She buried her head into Sol's shoulder and sniffled. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong, I'm sorry!"

Fili and Kili's gaze softened when they looked at each other and back to the two little elvish children in front of them, recognizing the absolute truth in her voice and the way Sol's eyes reflected it. With a sigh, Fili placed a hand on Sol's shoulder while Kili placed his on Luna's head. The twins looked up to the two young dwarves.  
"If you promise not to say a _word_ to _anyone_, we'll tell you a little secret. Alright? But you have to _swear _to keep it secret, both of you." Fili spoke softly, grinning when both of their heads nodded excitedly.

"Alright, so sit tight. You're in for a story."

* * *

"Woah. When you guys take back your home, can we visit? It would be so cool! The Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor... I think both of you would make great Kings." Luna babbled on, squealing excitably at some thoughts she came up with.

"What about you two though, wouldn't you be considered the Princesses of Rivendell?"  
Kili's question shocked them both.  
"Princess? I never wanted to be a princess. I've always wanted to be an Assassin." Came Luna's reply, which shocked yet amused both the Dwarven Princes.

"I think being a princess would be nice. I just don't dig the big gatherings all that much, the water doesn't flow that way for me." Sol's reply was a bit more mellow, but as odd as her sister's in the opinion of the dwarves.

"Hey wait, don't ignore my question! Can we visit you guys when you take back your home?"

Luna's question was innocent, but the fact that she held so much faith in them to think that they would actually do it spurred on their determination to take back their homeland. Kili nodded with a large grin.

"Of course! It'd be an honor to have such lovely princesses come all the way to Erebor just to see us! Quite a treat, don't you think so Fili?"

The blonde was quick to reply, chuckling. "What else would I think? You two will be on our minds when we slay that dragon, thinking "Now the Princesses can come and visit without having to worry about getting locked up in a tower and guarded by this ugly thing!"

All 4 of them laughed brightly, their sounds of merriment interrupted when both Luna and Sol yawned sleepily. The two Princes smiled to each other before standing, each one picking up one of the twins to carry. "Off to bed with you two! We can't have you half asleep tomorrow for training! It's a wonder how the both of ya haven't already fallen asleep!"

Fili's teasingly chastising tone was heard and both girls gave small giggles in return. "Let us down, you two don't even know where our rooms are!"  
"There's a simple fix to that! Tell us where to go and we'll be your feet!"

Kili's statement made them giggle again, and with swift directions, they were in front of their rooms in no time. "Thank you Fili! Thank you Kili!" They voiced their gratitude at the same time, and hugged both dwarves with tiny arms. The dwarves chuckled at them before ushering the twins into the room.

"Sleep tight,"  
"and don't let the bed bugs bite!"

With another laugh, the dwarves closed the door of the girls' room and walked off the find the company.

Both Luna and Sol have never had a more restful sleep than that night.

* * *

_End of Chapter 3_

_**Total Editing Time: 504 minutes**_

_**Pages: 15**_

_**Word Count: 6,203**_


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